Human Traffickers now on Facebook

By: Gizbot Bureau

Published: Saturday, April 25, 2015, 16:21 [IST]

Businesses are increasingly using social media -- even the illegal ones. Now, even smugglers have taken to the Facebook to woo their clients. The human smugglers are offering desperate migrants passage across the Mediterranean to Europe, according to a Financial Times report.

The paper reported the existence of several Facebook pages in Arabic offering passage to Europe, many via Libya to Italy, but others from Turkey to Greece.

Abu Moaz is dismissive of the people smugglers, who send migrants in dangerously overloaded boats.

It is impossible to verify the identity of any of the groups behind the Facebook pages, but the "Migration from Libya to Italy" page has more than 4,600 "likes", frequent postings and a lively comment field.

Facebook said that it removes content related to smuggling only when it is reported to them.